Ratna Jain richest mayoral candidate

JAIPUR: Kota mayoral hopeful and Congress candidate Ratna Jain is believed to be the richest to contest for the post among those fighting in this category for the municipal corporations in the state.

With cash and property estimated at Rs 2.70 crore, 47-year-old Ratna Jain has landed property, a house-cum-nursing home and cash in about 18 separate accounts amounting to about Rs 12 lakh. Her landed property includes five agricultural plots besides three other plots in urban areas. Her wealth in gold and silver amounts to more than Rs 12 lakh.

In second place, though many rungs off her, is the BJP candidate Prasan Chand vying for the mayor's post for Jodhpur. Chand's wealth is estimated at Rs 1.09 crore. He has two plots of agricultural land estimated at Rs 11 lakh, a house worth Rs 50 lakhs, Rs 15 lakh worth of gold and the rest in stocks and mutual funds.

In the third place is Jaipur's Suman Sharma at Rs 1.07 crore contesting on a BJP ticket for the mayorship of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation. Among her property is a house worth Rs 70 lakh in Malviya Nagar. The gold and silver with her and her family has been estimated at Rs 6.54 lakh. The rest of her wealth is invested in stocks and shares. Sharma has about Rs 6.08 lakh in cash with her.

On the debt front, Prasan Chand from Jodhpur tops the list with hiswife having taken a loan of Rs 41 lakh. He is followed by Congress candidate for the mayor's post from Jodhpur Rameshwar Dadheech with a debt of Rs 19 lakh.

In Jaipur Independent candidate for the mayoral post Charu Gupta's husband has taken a loan of Rs 13 lakh.

A candidate in contrast is Independent mayoral hopeful from Jodhpur Vijay Rao. Although the 27-year-old has three separate accounts in Bank of Baroda, SBBJ and SBI he does not have any money in them. He has two separate accounts in his wife's name and has a deposit of Rs 1,000 in one of them. Rao also doesn't have any land or house in his name.

Top Jain business groups to power JITO

AHMEDABAD: They were among the first to renounce their homes to seek greener pastures abroad, soon after the world war, turning adversity into business opportunity. Now with the global meltdown, the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), a global organisation connecting Jains worldwide, is now here to host its global summit just ahead of Vibrant Gujarat global investor summit.

The three-day JITO summit begins on Friday. Members and guests will interact and introduce themselves to each other. Leading business groups, Adanis, Torrent and Future are the key participants here. "This event will certainly boost the overall tempo of Gujarat's vibrant progress. We expect more than 7,000 delegates from across the globe to take part in this summit and witness Gujarat as a business friendly state. This might help encourage them to invest in the state," says Utkarsh Shah, president of JITO's Ahmedabad chapter. He adds that many foreign delegates of JITO will attend Vibrant Gujarat global investor's summit-09.

On Saturday and Sunday at expert sessions, prominent political, community and business leaders will participate.

"We want to look beyond recession and tap opportunities. In this summit, we have invited Jain visionaries from all fields to make most of this exclusive opportunity to exploit frontiers of value-based change for business growth. Being a premier organisation that works to make a difference, JITO feels that it is time to demonstrate and react to the situation with well thought out and realistic planned responses," says Shah.

Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha LK Advani will inaugurate the summit which will have the blessings of PP Naypadmasagarji Maharaj saheb.

The sessions will cover lectures on capital market and commodity, real estate and construction, textile and garment, dyes, chemical and pharma, plastics and allied products, gems, jewellery and bullion, IT, ITES and education.

The Jain International Women's Organisation (JIWO)'s international conference will be inaugurated on Saturday by Union minister Renuka Chowdhary. "In JIWO international conference, Jain women from across the globe will take part and discuss many important issues. It is expected that 3,000 women delegates will converge in the conference. The main aim is that women should come out and take part in social initiatives and not be restrict simply as housewives'' adds Ajit Shah, media in-charge of JITO.

Media directors arrested over Jainism articles

New York, January 8, 2009--B.V. Seetaram and his wife, Rohini, who head the media group Chithra Publications in Karnataka state, southern India, have been in judicial custody since Sunday in connection with two-year old criminal charges relating to their newspapers, according to local news reports.

State police arrested Seetaram, chairman and chief editor of the group, and his wife, the director, while the couple were traveling in the state's Udipi district, the reports said. Police told Seetaram the arrest was in connection with criminal charges lodged against them in 2007 for offending the sensibilities of a religious group in articles published by two of Chithra's Kannada-language dailies, Karavali Ale and Kannada Janantaranga. Seetaram told local reporters that the arrest follows a recent campaign of harassment against Karavali Ale, which is published from the nearby district of Mangalore, according to the reports.

"We are concerned that the arrest of these media owners, which coincides with attacks against one of their newspapers, is part of a campaign of harassment because they have dared to take on a sensitive religious issue," said Bob Dietz, CPJ Asia Program Coordinator. "We call on authorities to drop these criminal charges and ensure the safety of our colleagues."

The original complaint was filed in March 2007 by a practitioner of the religion Jainism, shortly after the newspapers published articles questioning the right of Jain leaders to appear naked in public, according to national English-language daily The Statesman. The couple spent a total of 10 days in jail in 2007 before being freed on bail. Seetaram characterized those arrests as harassment, and said that Karavali Ale had exposed links between the Jain community, a bus company allegedly carrying out illegal activities, and local police, The Statesman report said.

The reason for the two-year delay in the re-emergence of the charge was not clear from published reports. But attacks against Karavali Ale escalated in late 2008. In December, Seetaram lodged a complaint with the Press Council of India, a New Delhi-based watchdog body, saying that groups were commandeering quantities of the newspaper from vendors and then burning the copies. Its printing press was also attacked in November, according to local news reports. The reports quoted Seetaram saying local Hindu nationalist groups with the support of the state's Bharatiya Janata Party government were targeting the paper in retaliation for articles criticizing their activities.

Local journalists have protested heavy-handed official treatment of the media chief. In March 2007, police arrested the couple in their home at midnight without proper paperwork, according to The Statesman. After Sunday's arrest (which one report said involved 25 police officers), handcuffs and chains were used to restrain Seetaram when he was produced in an Udipi court on Monday, an unusually high security measure, local newspapers reported. Seetaram refused bail during that session, saying he feared re-arrest on similar charges if he returned to Mangalore, according to The Hindu newspaper. He and his wife have been remanded until January 17.

Tensions between religious groups run high in Mangalore, and newspapers are often accused of contributing to communal disharmony with provocative or one-sided coverage, according to the popular current affairs blog Churumuri Two individuals registered complaints with local police against Vijaya Karnataka, another Kannada-language newspaper owned by the Times of India Group, in December 2008 and January 2009, for separate articles said to incite hatred against Christians in the wake of mob violence by Hindu groups which targeted churches in the state in September 2008, according to the blog and local news reports.

Modi would like Jain university in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Jan 10 (IANS)

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wants a university proposed by a worldwide organisation of Jains to be set up in the state.”We have three choices for setting up a university. It can be in Maharashtra, Rajasthan or Gujarat. We request you (Modi) that as you did for the Nano (small car) project, help us to build the university here,” said Hemant Shah, president of the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), at the inaugural session of the three-day (JITO) Global Summit here Saturday.

In reply, Modi said: “I too want this university to come up in Gujarat instead of Maharashtra or Rajasthan. I have no objections. You go ahead and set up the university.”

“Last year the JITO summit was held in Mumbai and I attended it. I requested the organisers that the next meet be held here. Today Gujarat has become the host to the world,” he told the large gathering of delegates who have come here from all corners of the world.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Gandhinagar MP L.K. Advani said: “JITO is a wonderful organisation. It has set an example of religious amity.”

JITO mentor calls for uniting Jains

AHMEDABAD: 'Jains of the world unite', was the call given by Naypadmasagarji Maharaj, a revered Jain sadhu at the introductory meet on Friday on the eve of Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO)'s global summit.

Speaking to delegates, Naypadmasagarji, who is also JITO's mentor emphasised on the importance of unity for a better future.

"JITO's aim is to work for betterment of society. We should unite to eliminate poverty in the world. For this, I would ask JITO members to even go meet terrorists and try to understand their side of the story. Why should anybody choose to become a terrorist ? There must be some reason. We have to find this out for the cause of humanity", he said.

He urged that if they wanted to live in a peaceful world, they will have to create it themselves. "Jains have never discriminated while doing social works in their life. It is a tradition. I urge Jain leaders to invest their money in value based education", he said.

According to a JITO official, day one was like a "get together where JITO members and executives from various chapters presented their future course of action"

Govt decides to move official amendment to define minority

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI)
Government today decided to move an official amendment to the Constitution to define minority, a step which could enable it designate the Jains as a minority community.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, today approved a proposal to introduce the Constitution 103rd Amendment Bill to define minority, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters here.

The legislation came in the backdrop of several Supreme Court directives to the government to decide on the issue.

"This Bill is about the power to define a minority. The Supreme Court directed the Centre to decide the issue of giving minority status to Jains. A number of orders have been passed by the Supreme Court in this behalf," he said.

The Bill was introduced earlier and referred to the Standing Committee. After considering its recommendations, it was decided to move official amendments. However, the notice for amendments issued to Lok Sabha secretariat lapsed.

"Further issues were raised in the meantime. These have now been resolved and action will be taken to move the official amendments to the pending Constitution amendment bill," Chidambaram said.

Under the proposed amendment, minority means a community which may be specified by the President or notified by the Central government, the Minister said.

The Cabinet also decided to pursue its earlier decision to accord Scheduled Tribe status to the children of the inhabitants of Lakshadweep, who were born in any other place in India. So far, the children of such people who had moved to other parts of the country were denied ST status. PTI

उग्रवादियों ने जैन तीर्थस्‍थल मधुबन पर हमला किया

गिरिडीह (झारखंड): उग्रवादियों ने जैनियों के सबसे बडे तीर्थस्‍थल मधुबन पर हमला किया है. गिरिडीह स्थि‍त मधुबन में निर्माणाधीन टूरिस्‍ट कॉम्‍प्‍लेक्‍स को बम से उडा दिया. 20 लाख से अधिक की संपत्ति नष्‍ट हो गई है. किसी के हताहत होने की सूचना नहीं है. इस घटना से दूर-दराज से आ रहे जैन यात्रियों व धर्मावलंबियों में भय व्‍याप्‍त हो गया है.

घटना मंगलवार अर्द्धरात्रि की है. करीब 40-50 की संख्‍या में हमलावरों का एक जत्‍था उस भवन परिसर में पहुंचा. चौकीदार को कब्‍जे में लेने के बाद वहां दो केन-बम लगा कर विस्‍फोट कर दिया. दूसरे दिन घटना स्‍थल पर पहुंचे एसपी ए के सिंह के अनुसार यह करतूत भाकपा माओवादियों के एक गुट का है. दरअसल, इस इलाके में माओवादी दो खेमों में बंटे हुए हैं. एक खेमे को लेवी नहीं मिली थी उसी का खामियाजा इस तीर्थ स्‍थल को उठाना पडा है. करीब सवा करोड की लागत से बन रहे इस टूरिस्‍ट कॉम्‍प्‍लेक्‍स का निर्माण भारत सरकार की ओर से कराया जा रहा था.

Rally, Demand for Holiday Mark Mahavir Jayanti

Patna: April 18, 2008
Mahavir Jayanti Celebrated Image 1Image 2Image 3Image 4 Photo by Shashi Uttam The Jain community in Patna on Friday took out a rally to mark the birth of Lord Mahavir while also pressing for their demand of declaring the Mahavir Jayanti a state holiday since Mahavir was born in the state of Bihar.

The rally was taken out from the Jain Temple in Mithapur and after covering R-Block, Bir Chand Patel Marg, Income Tax roundabout, Dak Bungalow Crossing, Exhibition Road, Bakerganj, Kadam Kuan, arrived at the Congress Maidan where it turned into a public meeting.

Pradeep Jain, a senior office-bearer of the Jain Sangh in Patna, expressed his disappointment with the state government for not declaring Mahavir Jayanti a state holiday.

"Jains have only one day in a year to celebrate their faith and that too was taken away by the state government. This is highly troubling since Bihar is the birth place of Lord Mahavir," Pradeep Jain said adding the government was clearly ignoring the religious sentiments of the Jains in Bihar.

Featuring elephants, horses, and local bands, the rally included thousands of devotees chanting religious hymns with women outnumbering men in large number.

Following the rally, the Jains visited the school for blinds and fed the students.

Global Vectra to focus on Religious Tourism

By Anita Jain Mumbai

Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd. (GVHL), part of UK-based USD 700 million Vectra Group, is all set to focus on the Religious Tourism circuit in India starting with North India. According to Lt. Gen. (Retd) S J S Saighal, Chairman, GVHL, "There is a huge demand for helicopter services for the religious circuit of India. We have already received approval from Uttar Pradesh (UP) government to operate on these religious circuits and the sanction from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government is still awaited. Starting May this year, we are going to flag off the UP service and hopefully by June, we can start the J&K services, if we receive an approval for the same." The company is also expanding the fleet size for the same.

The demand for helicopters for the religious circuit within India is huge. "We are just trying to meet the ever increasing demand in this sector. The main focus in UP will be the Buddhist Circuit," added Saighal. Religious sites like Kushinagar, Sarnath and Sravasti will be focused on a large scale in UP, while Vaishnodevi in Jammu will be in focus. "Other sites like Badrinath, Tirupati Temple, Kedarnath will also be included," stated Saighal.

The company is investing about USD 65 million to expand the offshore operations in India. As a part of fleet expansion plans, the company will induct two Bell 412 for offshore operations and one EC 135 helicopter for onshore operations for which it is investing USD 26 million. The EC 135 helicopter is due for delivery in May this year along with PA 335 P3, while the two Bell 412s will be inducted by December 2008. In 2009 -10, four EC 155 along with three B3's will also be included in the operations. According to Saighal, by 2010 -11, the company will receive the delivery of three EC 135 and 12 EC 175 helicopters. Currently, the company operates 20 Bell 412.

GVHL is India's largest dedicated off-shore air logistics support helicopter company. Headquartered in Mumbai, the Rs 300 Crore company serves the E&P efforts of the country's oil industry on both sides of the Indian sub-continent from the main base at Juhu Airport and forward bases at Bhubaneshwar,Vishakapatnam and Rajamundry.

Mudbidri: 'Bimba Shuddhi' Rituals Begin at Thousand Pillar Basadi

Daijiworld Media Network - Moodbidri (GA)
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje

Moodbidri, Apr 12: 'Bimba Shuddhi' and 'Dhama Samprokshana' of the Thousand Pillar Basadi at Jain Kashi here began on Friday April 11. The rituals will be held till Sunday April 13. This marks the end of the renovation of the 15th century Basadi.

"Thorana Muhurtha" for "Bimba Shuddhi"(cleansing of the statue) of Chadraprabha Swami and "Dhama Samprokshana"( cleansing of the premises) of Thribhuvana Thilaka Chudamani( Thousand Pillars) Basadi were held in the presence of Cahrukeerthi Bhattaraka Swami of Moodbidri Jain Math and Dhavalakeerthi Bhattaraka Swami of Arihanthagiri.
The Basadi was renovated jointly by Shree Jain Math, Dharmothana Trust of Shree Dharmasthala and ITACT together with the help of philanthropists and others.

JAINA Announces ‘Ellis Island’ Honor to Dr. Dhiraj Shah

By LISA TSERING India-West Staff Reporter Dr. Dhiraj H. Shah, a retired radiologist near Buffalo, NY, has been selected as a recipient of the 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, according to a Mar. 24 press release from Jaina, the Federation of Jain Associations in North America. Shah, who became one of the first Indian Americans to win conscientious objector status in 1970 when he refused to fight during the Vietnam War, has long worked for peace. Asked by a reporter if he would use this opportunity to make a statement about the state of world peace, Shah said, "Absolutely." "There is no question that I will speak out for peace," the 64-year-old Shah told India-West April 1 from his home in Grand Island, NY. "All my life, I have tried to help the disadvantaged and underprivileged." He will receive the Ellis Island Medal of Honor at a ceremony May 10 on Ellis Island in New York City. The Ellis Island Medals of Honor are given out each year by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Foundation, Inc., at the location in which millions of immigrants historically first set foot on United States soil. According to a statement on the NECO Web site, the awards are "designed to pay homage to the immigrant experience, as well as for individual achievement. The honorees are remarkable Americans who exemplify outstanding qualities in both their personal and professional lives, while continuing to preserve the richness of their particular heritage." This year's recipients have not been publicly named (and a NECO representative could not be reached by press time), but Dilip V. Shah, president of Jaina, contacted India-West with the news and a copy of the letter from NECO to Dhiraj Shah. It is not known how many individuals will receive this year's Medal of Honor. Shah was awarded the Jain Ratna award in 2001 by Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee, and has also been quite active in Indian American, Jain and medical groups here and in India. He earned medical degrees at Gujarat University and at State University of New York before becoming a Fellow of the International College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. A past president of Jaina and the current chairman of Jaina's World Community Service program, Shah is on the boards of the Rotary Club of Niagara Falls and the India Association of Buffalo, and is a trustee with the Hindu Cultural Society of Western New York. He has been a director of Jaina for 20 years and has a long and impressive list of humanitarian activities to his name that includes helping Tsunami, drought, flood and earthquake victims; donating hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical equipment to clinics in India; building a school in Andamans/Nicobar Island for Tsunami-affected youth, and many, many other projects. In January 2008 he traveled to Kucch, Gujarat, to participate in a medical camp, where he treated hundreds of indigent patients. "Human beings are blessed by the Lord with the power of empathy, so that we can feel the pain of other human beings," he told India-West. "I just try to help others."

:by indiawest

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K.P. Jain Becomes TN Director General of Police

Chennai, March 31: K.P. Jain , IPS, took charge today as the new Director General of Police in place of P. Rajendran, IPS, who had retired today.

Mr. Jain, who belongs to the 1971 batch of IPS officers, prior to this appointment was Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation.

He started his career as Assistant Superintendent of Police (Training), Salem, and served in various capacities including SP Madurai (South and North), Vigilance and Anti-Corruption and Railways.

Deputed to the Intelligence Bureau in 1983 as Assistant Director, Mr. Jain rose to the position of Joint Director in the organisation.

Mr. Jain addressing the media after assuming charge, said ''I don't foresee a law and order problem (in the wake of BJP in Karnataka politicising the issue and a Kannada outfit's threat to prevent Tamil Nadu buses from entering Karnataka),''If it occurs, we will handle it,'' he added.
He also dismissed reports of LTTE activities in Tamil Nadu and said ''I cannot not comment on it now as I assumed charge just now.'' Mr Jain, however, put his foot down on tackling the menace of rowdyism in the state and said it would be one of the tasks of the police.

''We will identify the people indulging in anti-social acts like extortion and goondaism, prepare a district-wise list, monitor their movements and deal with them sternly,'' he added.
He also parried a question on revival of naxal activity in the state in the wake of arms theft at a police station and detonator explosion in a railway track near Oothangarai, once a hot-bed for naxal activity, and said ''we are well prepared to cope with the problem.'' He said the Police Department had taken a serious note of the recent theft of arms from Adhiyamankottai police station. - Staff Reporter

A Feel For Jainism

Jinal Shah

Mumbai, March 23 It has made it to the bestsellers' list among the visually impaired in India. And now, several manuscripts from Jain literature are all set to be translated into English and then put on the Braille system for blind people living abroad and harbouring an interest in Jainism.

Four years ago, the Blind Graduate Forum of India, a body comprising 700 members—all graduates and all visually impaired—who assist blind students get through their graduation, had discussed an idea. Considering the population of students learning about Jainism though various courses, including certificate courses, diploma courses as well as the MA or PhD level courses, the number of Braille books available on the subject was abysmal.

"When I was a kid, I had read a Braille book on Jainism. So, when the idea struck us at the forum, we approached a social group comprising doctors," says Hasmukh Shah, president of the Blind Graduate Forum of India.

At the forefront of this silent effort is Dr Bipin Doshi, a doctor with a flourishing practice as a private physician in Borivali. His love for Jainism, however, forced him to also take on the mantle of a full-time professor of Jainism at Mumbai University. When contacted by the Blind Graduate Forum who had zeroed down on the idea of converting Jain literature into Braille form, Doshi and the others had to decide on what texts should be converted first. "We consulted an 87-year-old Jain scholar at Navsari near Ahmedabad. We then decided to convert two of the oldest books, the Panch Pratikaman Sutra and 24 Jinvandana," says Dr Doshi.

Four years ago, it was merely an idea. Today, Jainism has reached 500 visually impaired individuals across India, both Jain and non-Jain, for academic purposes, through the efforts of this group.

"The big challenge was to translate the original Ardhmaghdhi language into Hindi. After all, students are taught only the commercially viable languages. Then we had to get everything dotted into Braille," he adds.

This year alone, the demand for literature on Jainism from blind students has increased to 1,200 copies in Braille, from across the country. "It is a no-profit-no-loss venture; we deliver books on demand. Last year, we delivered 500 copies to various institutes in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, etc," says Dr Doshi.

The two books are creating immense interest not only among blind academicians in India but those abroad as well. "We have got three letters from visually impaired individuals from the United States and from Europe, all people interested in learning Jainism. We have already started translating the literature into English now," says Dr Doshi..

"Our ultimate goal is to prepare a rich database for blind individuals interested in studying Jain literature," he adds.

Structure with artefacts found below Paharpur site temple

Archaeologists have found another ancient brick-built structure with floor and artefacts under the basement of the main temple at world heritage site Paharpur.

Earlier, two brick-built structures of Gupta dynasty were found during an excavation, according to archaeologists of the Department of Archaeology.

Dr Md Shafiqul Alam, director, Department of Archaeology, said the recently excavated structures were built in pre-Pal period.

"Most probably the structure of temple was built by followers of Jain religion," Alam added.

Nahid Sultana, custodian, Rabindra Kacharibari, Sirajganj and member of the excavation team, said the 2.1-metre width brick-built structure crossed the basement of the main temple built by King Dharmapala in the eighth centaury.

The structure was found in the northeast corner of more than 1,200 years old main temple "Somapura Maha Vihara", which is locally known as Paharpur Monastery.

Md Mahabub-ul-Alam, assistant custodian, Paharpur Museum and excavation team member, said a huge number of potsherds have been found under the monastic cell no-21 in the northeast corner of the Vihara.

Probably, these were used over 1,500 years ago, said Mahabub, adding that it is likely to be the first habitation over the virgin soil in this area.

World famous archaeologist Dr KN Dikshit believes there was a Jain monastery at Paharpur but no traces have survived.

Archaeologists of the archaeology department believe the recently discovered structure was the part of the Jain temple.

There has so far been no structural existence of Jain temples in Bangladesh. But Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang saw several Jain structures during his visit to Pundranagar in Bogra and adjacent areas in 639-645 AD, said Mahabub.

Jharkhand Tourism: Moving ahead through PPP

The Madhu Kora Government in Jharkhand has accorded top-most priority to promotion of tourism in the state. The state plans to globally promote all the facets of tourism, be it eco, spiritual or rural. The mission being to put the state firmly on the global tourism map by 2010. On an average 30-35 lakh domestic tourists visit Jharkhand every year during the peak tourist season. Of this, 25 lakh visit Deoghar, which is famous for religious tourism. Domestic tourists generally come from neighbouring West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Deoghar or Baidyanath Dham is an important pilgrim centre of the state. Scores of pilgrims visit the temple on foot travelling for around 100 km during the month of Shravan (July-August as per the English calendar) to pay their obeisance to Lord Shiva.

Speaking on the state's tourism plans and initiatives, Dipak Singh, Director-Tourism and Managing Director, Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC) said, "We are looking for partners for progress. The State Government is also keen on improving tourism infrastructure in the state, it is facilitating the creation of tourist bungalows, yatri niwas, lodges, budget category hotels, wayside facilities and resorts with private participation on a PPP (Public-Private-Partnership) model."

The state government aims to set up more budget hotels in the state under the PPP model. Presently, JTDC is refurbishing its existing properties, as well as improving on the road network, electricity and air connectivity to the state capital. Few private airlines have started their operations from Ranchi, connecting the state capital with other important metros. JTDC is also contemplating to offer land at concessional rates to hospitality groups for construction of hotels and other wayside facilities.

To attract more foreign tourists into Jharkhand, the state government has also identified the famous Ranchi-Netarhat-Betla circuit for developing tourism and also an inter-religious circuit in Parasnath temple. Situated at 4431 ft above sea level, Parasnath also known as Samved Shikhar is the most sacred place of the Jains and attracts Jain tourists throughout the year. It is the highest hill in the state and is about 190 km from Ranchi, the state capital.

To promote adventure tourism in the state, the Tourism Department is also looking at developing several sites in the state as water sports destinations under the PPP-model.

Jharkhand is undoubtedly a treasure-house of herbal plants and forest resources. More than 1,500 herbal plants are found in the country and a huge chunk of them is found in the State. The state therefore sees an opportunity for eco-tourism.

On the hospitality front, the department has received encouraging feedback from domestic and international hospitality groups to set up star-category and budget hotels in the state. The state has also embarked on an aggressive marketing and promotion exercise. It is participating at major travel and tourism marts in the country and abroad. A high-level delegation from the Department of Tourism visited WTM London and now Jharkhand Tourism will be participating at the forthcoming ITB Berlin event. As part of its marketing exercise, it plans to launch a comprehensive website and tourism information centers in different parts of the country.

NEW SPECIAL COVER ON JAINISM ISSUED AT KOLKATA

On the occasion of 80 years of Shree Swetambar Sthanakvasi Jain Sabha, a special cover has been issued on 10th Feb. 2008 at Kolkata. The cover bears a painting of Padmawati Devi. Indian Postal Department provided a special cancellation on this occasion which bears SWASTIKA, GRANTHA and three Ratnatraya - SAMYAK DARSHAN, SAMYAK GYAN, SAMYAK CHARITRA.

- Sudhir Jain,
Universal Cables Ltd.,SATNA (M.P.) 485 005.Phone ; 07672 257121 to 257127Mobile : 9425174190E-mail : mrsudhirjain@ yahoo.comand mrsudhirjain@ hotmail.comWebpage : www.geocities. com/mrsudhirjainWebpage : www.geocities. com/mrsudhirjain

Ancient Abbakkadevi Basadi resurrected

By Team Mangalorean
Photograph: Rajesh Shetty

ULLAL, March 21, 2008: The 16th century old Chowta Rani Ullal Abbakkadevi Basadi a hallowed place of worship has been renovated and is ready to be handed over the Ullal people according to the chairman of the Apex Bank of Karnataka and a prominent Jain leader M.N. Rajendra Kumar here today.

Addressing a press conference here today Mr.Kumar stated that the 500 year old Basadi was a revered praying shrine for the Jains of Dakshina Kannada. This shrine is stated to have received the queen of Ullal Abbakka Rani during her life time in 16th century.

Mr.Kumar said as a sign of completion of the renovation the ritualistic programmes including "panchakalyan mahotsav", will be held for five days starting from March 23. Mr. Kumar outlining the works taken up by the Trust of the shrine said that the shrine had artistically beautiful depiction of Parshwanath and Aadinatha carved in black granite which had however been mutilated during the last five hundred years. But the Trust had taken pains to replace the idols with the same beauty and same material. The shrine now wears the historical splendour Mr.Kumar added.

Mr.Kumar acknowledging the phenomenal interest shown by the Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala Dr. Veerendra Heggade said that the Dharmotthana Trust of the Dharmasthala temple had taken personal interest in renovating the shrine. However the minor shrine outside the main Shrine belonging to the Kshetrapala has been renovated with the help from the people he added. Charukirthi Panditacharyavarya swamiji of the Moodbdiri Jain Math will perform the Panchakalyana ritual on that day he informed.

Woman arrested for attempting to sell an antique Mahavir idol

Express news service

Mumbai, February 20 The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police on Tuesday arrested a woman for trying to sell a Mahavir idol, suspected to be an antique piece, without a licence to deal in antiques.

Experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are being consulted to ascertain the age and worth of the piece, the police said.

The woman, Jagruti Atul Shah (48), a garment trader and a resident of Borivli, was trying to pawn the item for Rs 4 crore when she was trapped by the Crime Branch officials at her parent's residence at an apartment complex in Tardeo.

"We do not know the exact age and worth of the idol yet, as an expert from the ASI is yet to give us a report on it. However, investigations are on to ascertain where she sourced the idol from, who else is involved in the case, and whether this is an organised racket in antiques," said Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Rakesh Maria.

According to the police, the idol — Mahavir in a standing posture — is approximately 7 inches in height and weighs between 9 and 10 kg. It is made of an alloy of five metals.

"Shah was arrested after we received a tip-off that she was looking for buyers for an antique idol. We communicated with her on the phone, set up a deal and sent a dummy customer before arresting her. We do not know much about the idol, but Shah claims that it is at least three centuries old. She demanded Rs 4 crore within seven days. We have booked her under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act (1972)" said senior police inspector, R Mahale, of Crime Branch Unit 1.

Temple tries again to secure visas

As a Jain house of worship sits unfinished in Bartlett, officials scale back request to allow stonemasons from India into the U.S.

By Russell Working Tribune reporter

March 19, 2008

Over the last 19 months, officials of the Jain temple in Bartlett have spent $35,000 on lawyers and fees in an attempt to import five skilled stonemasons from India to help assemble a new house of worship.

They sent a consultant to Delhi, built a chain-link fence around a stack of marble carvings in the parking lot, and pleaded with immigration authorities for an answer.

Their first attempt to get visas for the workers failed, so temple officials have started the process again, with a smaller request. They found an Indian immigrant in Detroit who is a skilled temple stonemason, meaning visas are needed for just four craftsmen.

The renewed effort comes as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is considering amending regulations for religious worker visas. Hindus and Jains say current regulations are geared toward Judeo-Christian faiths, with an emphasis on priests, cantors and even ritual slaughter supervisors rather than stone carvers.

The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago is one of a number of Indian religious centers from New York to Hawaii that have struggled to get government approval to bring in the silpis, or stone carvers, who are needed to construct their intricate temples.

For the Jains in Bartlett, the delays resulted in reduced donations, as the leadership was expecting $2 million to $3 million to pour in after the temple dedication. Members are reluctant to give money when they see no progress.

"It's just a nightmare," said Prabodh Vaidya, chairman of the board of trustees.

The federal government is redefining religious workers in ways officials believe may better take into account the concerns of Eastern faiths. In the past, there was a problem with bogus applications, with a government study finding a 33 percent fraud rate, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"The goal is to eliminate the fraud," said CIS spokeswoman Mary Lou Cabrera.

Some temples already are seeing a change in attitude. Construction had stalled last year at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii, said Sannyasin Arumugaswami, managing editor of Hinduism Today Magazine. But during a visit to India in February, Arumugaswami said a U.S. official told him to resubmit the documents for the stone carvers, saying it would henceforth consider silpis as religious workers.

The key to the temples' argument is that, although the silpi is not a cleric, he sees his calling as a religious duty in the way a nurse in a Roman Catholic hospital might.

"They say: 'This is our dharma. This is our god-given work," he said. "They take their shoes off before they go to work at the temple. They worship their tools before they start the day. There's an annual festival which is to bless the tools and the work site."

George R. Willy, a Houston attorney who was serving as a consultant for the Bartlett temple in the previous case, said it usually takes a few weeks for a visa to be accepted or denied. But his office spent months trying to pry an answer out of U.S. officials in India.

"In Delhi, we tried and we tried and we tried, and nothing happened," Willy said. "And these officials don't even give these folks [at the temple] even a word about what they were up to and why they were not issuing it."

Before, the temple tried to bring in the workers through an Indian-American contractor. Since that approach failed, they now plan to apply directly to bring in the workers while also hiring the man in Detroit.

"I can control only things that I do," Vaidya said. "I cannot control what other people do. Eventually we have to get this done. And somehow or other, we will get this done."

rworking@tribune.com

Haverford student to greet pope

Senior Aditya Vora will be one of five young adults representing five faiths to meet Benedict XVI.

By Bonnie L. Cook

Inquirer Staff Writer

A Haverford College student who follows the Jain religion has been picked to greet Pope Benedict XVI during the pontiff's first trip to the United States.

Aditya Vora, 21, a senior from Kings Park, N.Y., is among five young adults chosen from around the world for the honor. Others will represent the Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, and Islamic traditions. The pope will be in the States from April 15 to 20.

When Vora learned of his role, he said he was "filled with nervousness and excitement."

"I felt honored, but I felt like I didn't deserve it," said Vora, a science major who hopes to become a physician.

The meeting, set for April 17 in Washington, is meant to embody the pope's belief that religions must unite to achieve peace.

"The cry for peace in our world calls for religious bodies to come together," said Bishop William Sklba, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, which is hosting the visit.

The meeting "exemplifies what must happen all over the world," Sklba said.

On April 15, the pontiff will arrive in Washington. The following day, his 81st birthday, Benedict will meet with President Bush and the Catholic bishops.

On April 17, he will say Mass at Nationals Park, new home of the Washington Nationals. At 6:30 p.m., the pontiff will receive Vora and the other young adults.

Afterward, he will welcome 10 prominent religious figures, including Vora's father, Arvind, a member of the Federation of Jain Associations in North America.

On April 18, the pope will go to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly. The next day, the third anniversary of his election to the papacy, Benedict will meet with seminarians and disabled children.

On the last day of his visit, April 20, he will visit site of the attack on the World Trade Center and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium.

At the April 17 meeting, Vora will shake the pope's hand and give him a small metal cube, according to the Rev. James Massa, who helped organize the event.

The cube represents the Jain principles of nonviolence, truthfulness, tolerance of others' views, and never stealing or being swayed by materialism, Vora said. The ceremony is expected to last 10 to 15 minutes.

"That 10 to 15 minutes will probably seem like an hour to me," Vora said. "My adrenaline will be pumping. I can't believe this is actually happening."

Massa said Vora might get to speak to the pope.

"He'll probably ask, 'Where are you from and what do you do?' " Massa said.

Earlier this year, Massa was seeking young people who could represent their sects at the meeting. They had to be involved in interfaith work and be advocates for peace.

Vora's name came up because Massa had visited a Jain peace center on Long Island and knew Vora's father. Massa and Aditya Vora met at a restaurant on the N.J. Turnpike early one morning, and Massa was impressed with him.

"He has a remarkable social conscience, one informed by his religion," Massa said.

Vora, a slim, quiet man, didn't expect to receive such an honor. Called A.D. by friends, Vora was singled out because of work he did on Long Island.

The work since his high school days involved talking with Holocaust survivors in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and antibias and multicultural programs he fostered.

Jains believe that their religion, centered in India, had no beginning, Vora said. Instead, 24 teachers, or tirthankars, guided its formation by achieving, then teaching, the path to salvation.

Jains believe the principle of nonviolence must be reflected in their every thought, word and deed, Vora said. Most are vegetarians.

"If there's a spider in your house, you have to get a dust pan and sweep it out," he said. "We don't kill anything."

Vora's small step for interfaith unity comes as Benedict makes his first appearance in America as pope. He had visited before as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany and is familiar with U.S. culture.

"To come as pope is a whole different experience," Massa said. "He comes because he's our pastor, but also in the role of peacemaker and advocate for justice."

Massa said the interfaith meeting grew out of discussions with five religious groups with which the Catholic bishops conference has a relationship.

"I think it appeals to the heart when there are religions meeting together and a person who has great symbolic significance, such as the pope, is present," Massa said.

That provides a platform for "working through our differences," he said.